Grooming, Waxing and Other Cosmetic Solutions to Unwanted Hair Growth

If you don’t want that hair over there, here’s how to get rid of it.

By Pam George

Again, see your doctor if the hair growth seems sudden or it’s coarse and dark. To tackle normal growth, rely on a razor, tweezers or at-home methods. Or get a pro’s help for some of the following services.

• Waxing. You could do this at home but the results can be excruciatingly memorable. “It’s hard to inflict pain on yourself,” agrees Terri Kerner, owner of Via Medical Day Spa in Trolley Square. You also risk burning and tearing your skin. For the bikini area, toss your modesty out the window en route to the salon, particularly if you want to go completely bare, which remains popular. Many aestheticians will have you get down on all fours. “If you’ve never had one before, this can be alarming,” acknowledges Holly Grist, owner of Salon 828 in Wilmington.

• Dermaplaning. Using a surgical blade, the skin care professional removes the very top of the skin—as well as the fine hairs on the face. “It exfoliates and, as an extra benefit, you remove the peach fuzz,” Marsilii says. Hair won’t grow back heavy and coarse, unless it was that way to begin with.

• Laser hair reduction. Although this procedure took a hit in the recession, it’s still popular among those who want to significantly remove unwanted hair. Traditionally, it works best on people with dark hair and light skin, but there are exceptions, says Kerner. However, it will not work on white or gray hair. “I tell people to get it done before their hair turns gray or coarse,” she says.

Younger men are getting both laser treatments and waxing done on the chest, back and even their legs. “They’re into grooming,” she says. Some do it to make their tattoos or muscles more prominent. Man-scaping in the genital area is not as big in Delaware salons as on the West Coast, but aestheticians do have male clients who do it.

• Nose and ear grooming. You can only laser the outside of the ear. Still, you may want a professional to handle it, primarily because he or she can see it. “Ears can turn into little trees,” says Marsilii, who gets out her round-edged scissors. “And a lot of people don’t realize they have hair coming out of their nose. I say: ‘Let me just trim this a little bit.’”

• Whether at home or in the salon, you might want to reconsider aggressive removal approaches. Nasal hair, for one, keeps foreign particles out and filters air.

First-time “Brazilians,” meanwhile, might notice increased perspiration in that area and chafing. Going to “South America,” can even affect how you sit on the toilet. “Hair is there for a reason,” Kirchdoerffer concludes.